Knock-down crate



May 1, 1956 A. B. LOONEY 2,743,835

KNOCK-DOWN CRATE Filed Feb. 15, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

fl Zm 5- [00/2651 BY United States Patent KNOCK-DOWN CRATE Arlen B. Looney, Spokane, Wash. Application February 13, 1953, Serial No. 336,715 3 Claims. (Cl. 217-12 The present invention relates to an improved knockdown crate. It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a packing and shipping crate that can be set up, loaded, transported and when emptied at its destination, packed in a compact manner for shipment back to the source, the construction being such that the assembled crate presents a smooth unbroken interior.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a crate of the character described consisting of a floor unit which is so constructed that it may be picked up, when the crate is assembled, on prongs of a fork truck for loading and unloading, and side pieces which interlock I with and are bolted to the floor, together with end pieces that interlock with the floor and are bolted to the side pieces to complete the assembly.

. The nature and advantages of my invention will 'appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of the invention. The drawings and description are intended to be illustrative only and not to limit the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a crate embodying my invention;. I a 1 Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the crate;

Figure 3 is an end view of the crate;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the crate with a portion broken away;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the crate taken on the line 55 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the floor unit of the crate with a dotted line indication of the way in which the side panels and end panels are joined to the floor unit.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, my improved crate is made up of a floor unit 10, side panels 11 and 12, and end panels 13 and 14. The means of securing the several panels together on the floor unit comprises four short bolts 15 and four long bolts 16 which are set into the material so that they do not project outwardly. The floor unit and the several panels can be stacked into a compact package when the bolts are removed, but when fitted together, they interlock in such a fashion as to substantially relieve the bolts of any strains except endwise tension.

Referring now particularly to Figures 5 and 6, the main unit of the crate is the floor unit 10. It comprises a single sheet 17 of material such as plywood of sufiicient thickness. This sheet is simply secured by nails or screws to three frame pieces 18, 19 and 20. These frame pieces are usually wood, 2 inches by 4 inches in cross section. On the outer faces of the pieces 18 and 20, additional frame pieces 21 and 22 are secured. These pieces are of the same cross sections as the pieces 18 and but are shortened at the ends about 2 inches to leave re-entrant corners 2 inches by 2 inches. The floor sheet 17 is cut out at the corners to match. Skid boards 23, 24, and 25 are secured to the lower faces of strip 30 or 31 and the adjacent side panels.

bolts 16, one near the top of the end panels and the 2,743,835 Patented May 1, 1956 the members 18-22. In large crates it is desirable also to provide transverse re-enforcing strips 26 and 27 on the with the distance from the outer edge of the piece 18' to the outer edge of the piece 21). Strips 30 and 31 are also secured on the sheet 17 directly over the pieces 21 and 22. These end strips 30 and 31 are shortened with respect to the pieces 21 and 22 at each end. The means of securing the pieces lib-22, the boards 23-27 and the strips 2831 may be any of the well known fasteners such as nails, screws, etc. used in securing wood parts together.

The side panels 11 and 12 are alike. Each one consists of a sheet 32, a top strip 33 and two end strips 34 and 35. The top edge of the sheet 32 is flush with the top of the strip 33 and the end edges of the sheet 32 are flush with the outer edges of the strips 34 and 35. The strips 34 and 35 extend down below the lower edge of the sheet 32 a distance equal to the vertical dimension of one of the pieces 18-20, plus the thickness of the floor sheet 17. Thus when a side panel 11 or 12 is set on the floor unit 11 the sheet 32 fits down inside the corresponding strip 28 or 29 on the floor unit and the downwardly extending portions 34a and 3.5a of the end strip 34 and 35 seat in the corners formed by the ends of the pieces 21 and 22 and the projecting portions of the pieces 18 and 20. Two of the bolts 15 secure these extended portions 34a and 35a in place as illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The end panels 13 and 14 are alike. Each panel comprises a sheet 36, a top strip 37 and two side strips 38 and 359. The side strips 38 and 39 are coextensive in height with the sheet 36 and the top strip 37 is flush with the top of the sheet 36. The end panels, when set in place, fit between the sheets 32 of the side panels with the sheet 36 resting against the inner face of one of the strips 30 or 31 and the lower ends of the strips 38 and 39 extending down between the ends of the corresponding Two of the other about midway of the height of the end panel, extend through the strips 38'39 and the adjacent side panel strip 34 or 35 to clamp the side panel and end panels together.

Preferably all of the strips fastening to the top of the sheet 17 and to the side sheets 32 and end sheets 36, are 2 inches by 2 inches cross section. The strips 30 and 31 are shortened with respect to the pieces 21-22 an amount equal to 2 inches plus the thickness of the sheet 32 so that the strips 38 and 39 fit snugly between the ends of the strips 36 or 31 and the adjacent sheets 32.

The construction just described provides a tight enclosure with the panels protected at all edges by the two inch strips. The strips 28, 23, 3% and 31, together with the lower ends of the strips 33 and 39, practically seal the interior of the crate around the floor sheet 17. The top strips 33 and 37 provide a substantial top surface for closing the crate with any kind of cover desired. The crates are capable of use in transporting loose material because of the smooth unbroken interior and the Way in which the side and end panels are held at the bottom by the strips 28, 29, 34B and 31 on the fioor unit. The entire crate is readily knocked down for shipment as a fiat unit by removing the eight bolts 15 and 16.

it is believed that the nature and advantages of my invention will be from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a knock-down crate, a floor unit composed of a rectangular floor sheet, frame pieces including pieces at thereof extending to the re-entrant corners but the border strips on thefloor sheetat the end edgesthereof terminatnets and a portion of the top of the floor sheet is ex- "ed at each end of each end border strip side panels resting on said floor sheet, each panel comprising a sheet the lower edge of which rests on the floor sheet inst inside the side border strip thereon, a top strip and end strips fixed to the outer face of the side panel sheet nits. .48%, the end strips. extending downwardly beyond thefloor sheet and seated in said re-entrant corners, removable means securing thelower ends of the end strips to the frame pieces below the floor sheet, end panels on said floor sheet just inside the end border strips, said end panels each comprising a sheet of the same height, as the side panel sheets and having its vertiqal edges abutting the side panel sheets, a top strip and two-end strips: secured to the end panel sheet, the end strips extending to the floor sheet at the ends of the end border strips, and means clamping the side panels and theirend strips against the end panels.

2. In a knock-down crate, a floor unit composed of a leetangular floor sheet, frame pieces including pieces at the. ends of said floor sheet on which said sheet is secured, the end frame piecesand the sheet being provided with re-entrant corners, border strips secured on top of a said sheet, along the side and end edges thereof the border strips on the floor sheet along thefside edges thereof extending to. the re-entrant corners. but the border strips 0! the floor sheet at the end edges thereof terminating a short of the re-entrant corners whereby the ends of the.

border strips are spaced apart at said re-entrant corners and a. potion of the top of the floor sheet is exposed at each end of each end border strip, side panels resting on said 1160! sheet, each panel comprising a sheet the lower edge of which rests on the floor sheet just inside the side border strip thereon,,a top strip and end strips fixed to the outer face of the side panel sheet at its edges, the end ships extending downwardly beyond the floor sheet and seated in said re-entrant corners, bolts extending through the portions of said end strips that are seated in said. te-entrant corners and through the adjacent frame pieces to hold the side panels down on the floor sheet,

end-panels resting on said floor sheet just inside the end border. strips, said end panels each comprising a sheet of the same height as the side panel sheets and having short of the re-entrant corners wherebythe ends of the border strips are spaced, apart at said reentrant corits vertical edges abutting the side panel sheets, a top strip and two end strips secured to the end panel sheet, the end strips extending to the floor sheet at the ends of the end border strips, and means clamping the side panels and their end strips against the end panels.

3. in a knock-down crate, a floor unit composed of a rectangular floor sheet, frame pieces including pieces at the ends of said floor sheet on which said sheet is secured, the end frame pieces and the sheet being provided with re-entrant corners, border strips secured on top of sheet along the side and end edges thereof the border strips on the floor sheet along the side edges thereof extending to the re-entrant corners but the border strips on the floor sheet at the, end edges thereof terminating short of the re-entrant corners whereby the ends of the border strips are spaced apart at said re-entrant corners and a portion of the top of the floor sheet is exposed at each end of each end border strip, side panels resting on said floor sheet, each panel comprising a sheet the lower edge of which rests on the floor sheet just inside the side border strip thereon, a top strip and end strips fixed to the outer face of the side panel sheet at its edges, the end strips extending downwardly beyond the floor sheet and seated in said re-entrant corners, bolts extending through the portions of said end strips that are seated in said re-entrant corners and through the, adjacent frame pieces to hold the side panels down on the floor sheet, end panels resting on said floor sheet I just inside the end border strips, said end panels each comprising a sheet of the same height as the side panel sheets and having its vertical edges abutting the side panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS 249,915 Fargo Nov. 22, 1881 431,287 Scovel July 1, 1890, 680,628 Sykes Aug. 13, 1901 1,389,020 Tucker Aug. 30, 1921 1,661,527. DeBoer Mar. 6, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 668,280 Germany Nov. 30, 1938 636,440- Great Britain ,u Apr. 26, 1950 

